watch the sun (as it scorches the earth)
by katxwithwings
Summary: The Hyuga were strong and powerful, one of the four noble clans of Konohagakure. They stood tall and proud, reveling in their place in the sun. But what goes up must come down, and no is quite ready for the fall.


A/N: I have been thinking about and writing and rewriting this fic for years now. It's kinda embarrassing how long I've been working on this, to the point where it's something I actively beat myself up over. Finishing this story, no matter how good or bad it ends up being, is my summer goal. Hopefully I will finally be done with this and can move on to newer and better things.

* * *

Chapter 1

The Academy's auditorium doubled as the Council meeting room twice a year. Today was not an equinox, and yet the room was filled with murmured conversations as clan heads trickled in, all wondering why a meeting had been called at all, let alone on such short notice. "Danzo, what is going on?" Tsunade hissed, glare poisonous. Danzo ignored her and the whispers, and instead watched as Hiashi Hyuga sat impassively, expression as blank as his eyes.

Once the clock struck eight, Danzo stood and walked over the podium at the front. A hush fell over the audience. "Esteemed clan leaders, thank you for coming at such late notice," he said gravely. The acoustics amplified his voice, allowing it to reach every corner and every ear in the room. "For weeks we have discussed the information leaks that have threatened the peace and security of our village."

It all started when classified Uchiha police cases were dropped on the doorstep of the Konoha Press. Then, details of Hyuga's Caged Bird Seal were delivered to every clan head and village leader, much to the fury of the Hyuga leadership. Even the Aburame clan were targeted; they realized that their method of breeding ninja insects had been leaked when they discovered rogue-nin attempting to replicate their hives.

Danzo had initially dismissed the incidents as isolated events or inter-clan rivalries gone amuck. It wasn't until S-class missions started failing-undercover agents captured, elite teams intercepted-that he began to seriously investigate.

"Recently, an infiltration mission uncovered information about a broker who could retrieve any Konohagakure secret requested." The room held its breath in anticipation. "I am relieved to say that ANBU has found and captured the culprit this morning." The doors opened and two ANBU agents dragged a ragged-looking man in front of Danzo. He was in his late thirties, though his ashen skin and limp brown hair made him seem at least twenty years older. One of the agents grabbed the prisoner's head and forced his face upward, showing the man's white Hyuga eyes to everyone in the room.

"Shiro Hyuga is accused of spying and selling village secrets to rogue nin groups and enemy villages."

There were a few gasps as the room descended into a cacophony of whispers. Yet despite the glaring heat of the reveal, Hiashi Hyuga remained as composed and unmoved as an ice sculpture. Danzo couldn't help but feel grudging respect for the man.

"Exactly how much information?" Fugaku Uchiha called out, his dark eyes calculating.

"Most of it appears to have been profiles on the clans and their abilities. A report of all relevant information will be sent once Morino-san completes-"

The mention of Ibiki Morino seemed to snap the prisoner out of his drooling stupor. "I didn't do it," he screamed, thrashing so violently that the ANBU agent almost lost his grip. Then the prisoner caught sight of the clan head sitting in the front row. "Hiashi-sama," he whimpered. "Please I didn't do it I'm not a traitor please-"

The words were cut off by a swift hit to the back of the head. The prisoner's body slumped, and the ANBU allowed the man to fall into an undignified heap on the floor.

Hiashi stood. "The Hyuga would appreciate if the body were returned for proper disposal once all information has been extracted." He strode out of the double doors, leaving chilly silence in his wake.

"Alright." Suddenly Tsunade was at the podium, wedging herself in front of Danzo to take charge of the situtation. "Thank you all again for coming at such short notice but the meeting is adjourned." She signaled for the ANBU to take the prisoner away. "As Danzo-san said, we will keep you all updated on the extent of the information leak. If you have any questions, please wait for the full report before submitting them."

The room burst into activity and conversation as people attempted to digest what had just happened. Danzo frowned at the abrupt end. He'd hoped to knock the Hyuga Clan a few pegs further. Then they'd be too busy attempting to regain their reputation to challenge any of his or the village's decisions or initiatives. Perhaps there was still time to incite some petty Clan rivalries.

Danzo turned to follow the crowd but was stopped by a suffocating aura of killing intent. He looked over to see Tsunade with murder in her eyes. "We need to talk."

...

_[2 months later]_

...

Hinata stood by her father's open casket in a heavy black kimono, watching as one by one the rest of the Hyuga Clan came to pay their respects. Beside her, Neji and Hanabi stood like somber shadows. There were no tears, no emotional outbursts-they were still Hyuga. Even Hinata, who cried at both the happy and sad parts of a story, was too numb to do more than stare blankly at her relatives and bow her head. It was all so sudden. One moment they'd all been sitting together, listening to Hanabi recount the her team's latest exploits, and the next moment Father had fallen from his chair and started seizing on the floor. He'd had an aneurysm.

All the world was gray.

At last-and yet all too soon-the procession ended and Hiashi's coffin was sealed shut. The other clan members drifted back to their regular lives while Hinata, Neji, and Hanabi carried the coffin to the clan crematorium. The air was sticky and suffocatingly humid, especially in thick funeral clothing. Hinata felt like an ant burning under a sadistic child's magnifying glass.

At the crematorium, the three looked on as the coffin slid into the crematorium chamber, spilling ash and soot as it was consumed by flames. "Come back in two hours," the cremator said.

The walk home was quiet, the silence thick with unsaid words.

Eventually, Hanabi suggested, "Let's eat something in town."

"We could go to Sweet Treats," Neji said. It was their favorite bakery, beloved for its cinnamon rolls and banana bread.

Hinata yearned to escape the concrete walls of the clan compound. Just the thought of the fluffy, light brown breads and beautiful rainbow pastries brought a little color back into the world. She could practically taste the sweet icing and warm cinnamon. But before she could agree, a Branch servant approached. "Hinata-sama, the Elder Council requests your presence as soon as possible."

"What? Now?"

"They said it was urgent."

"Are you serious," Hanabi snarled. "What do those geezers want?"

"I was not told." The Branch servant was a wall of polite indifference.

"Ignore them, onee-chan," Hanabi said, tugging Hinata's sleeve towards the town. "Let's go." She tried to resume their trip to the bakery, but stopped when she realized Hinata hadn't moved from her spot.

"I'm sorry, Hanabi-chan. I hope you two have a good time." She was clan head now, and she had responsibilities to attend to, whether she was ready or not.

Hanabi opened her mouth to argue but Neji cut her off. "We'll bring you a roll," he said with understanding eyes.

Hinata followed the Branch servant back to the Main house complex, down the hall, and into the advisory room. There, the seven elders were already kneeling on their mats. The soft chatter in the room faded as all eyes turned to Hinata as padded over to the only open mats. Hiashi's mat-now hers, Hinata reminded herself-was at the head of the room, allowing the occupant to survey the Council like a king over his subjects.

"Hinata-sama," one of the elders, an immaculate woman named Mitsuko, began. "We have called you here today because your father's tragic passing has left the clan head position vacant. Typically, leadership is automatically transferred to the eldest child. However, Hiashi-sama made an exception to that rule a few years ago, stating that if the Council thought that you were unfit to lead the Clan, the title would pass onto Hanabi-sama instead."

Hinata felt like she'd turned to stone. Pressure against her chest that made it hard to breathe. She could have sworn that her heart stopped beating.

"After much discussion," Mitsuko continued, "we have decided that you are not ready to serve as Clan Head. Since Hanabi-sama is too young to lead, the Council will act in her stead until she becomes of age or you prove yourself fit to lead the Clan."

It was as if Hinata's soul had left her body and she was watching it all happen to someone else. Some stupid, naive girl who believed that if she just worked hard enough, she could stop being the family failure and make her father proud. She should have known that she would always be too little too late. She heard herself ask, "Have you informed the rest of the Clan"

"No, we were planning on announcing it..." The rest of the discussion was drowned out by a roaring in her head. She made vague sounds of affirmation when she was supposed to, going along with it like the hollow doll that she was. When the meeting finally came to an excruciating end, Hinata was the first to leave.

She wandered down the hallways like a ghost returning to a place it used to know, but now no longer belongs in. Dimly, she wondered if the Council's decision meant that she would be sealed and sent to live in the Branch section of the Compound. At least Hanabi would be able to remain uncaged.

She finally stopped and realized that her feet had brought her outside. Where did she think she was going? She tried to will herself back inside. Instead, her knees gave out from under her and she collapsed onto the front step. She stared at the dirt and grass beneath her, oddly fixated by the goings on of the beetles and other insects that lived there.

"Hinata-sama?" Slowly, Hinata lifted her head to see Neji and Hanabi's worried faces peering down at her. They'd come back early from the bakery, white bags with the pale green logo on it. "What's wrong?"

"I'm going to kill them," Hanabi growled.

"I-No-It's nothing. I'm sorry-" Hinata stood up and tried to paste on a smile. It fit like a too-small mask, tight and painful. Hanabi grabbed her sister's wrist and dragged her through the Main Compound and into Hinata's room where the privacy seals would prevent any eavesdropping. Neji followed close behind.

"Onee-chan, what's wrong," Hanabi demanded. Hinata sat down on her bed and looked at the floor and her dresser and the ceiling-anywhere but at her sister and cousin.

Neji forced himself into her field of vision. "What happened?" he asked, soft and steady. Hinata looked at him, and then put her head in her hands. Everything, all the worry and anger and devastation that she'd been carefully reining in-it all rushed through her like floodwaters breaking through the dam. There was a dip in the bed as Neji sat next to her. Hinata wept into his shoulder.

...

Hanabi crouched in the branches of a broad-leafed tree, hidden from view amongst the foliage and a welcome relief from the scorching sun. Sweat dripped from her chin, a product of both the muggy air and the anticipation of being found. Her right hand clutched at the small silver bells tied to her belt, giving her constant reassurance that they were still there. That last encounter had been a little too close-those kunai had nearly cut the belt strings instead of scraping by her thigh. Worst of all she'd lost track of her teammates-turned-temporary-enemies. Her fingers itched to form the Byakugan hand seal. It would be so, so easy to just activate her bloodline limit and spot her pursuers. But that would defeat the point of the exercise.

_You need to stop relying so heavily on your eyes_, Ryuuichi-sensei's voice echoed in her head. She could practically see the bland, unimpressed look he always gave whenever he caught her unawares. So here she was, blindly trying to locate her teammates with nothing more than her ears and attempts to sense their chakra signatures. If this was how "regular" people experienced the world, then she'd thank whatever god put her in the Hyuga Clan a thousand times over.

Scowling Hanabi directed her chakra to her ears...just in time to hear the distinct sound of shaking tree branches as someone headed straight towards her. The Hyuga genin turned and began leaping through the trees as well, trying to put some distance between herself and her pursuer. Pursuers? The rustling and thumping of sandals against wood were so loud that it had to be on purpose-even loudmouth Tadashi knew better than to go stomping around the forest. Her teammates wanted her to know that they were coming. Was she running into a trap? Knowing Nobu, probably.

The thought made her skid to a stop and launch herself in the opposite direction, already pulling out a kunai from her pouch. In less than a minute, a short, dark-haired genin was exploding out of the foliage. There was a clang as their kunai met in the air and then were deflected harmlessly in opposite directions.

"You ready to give up yet?" Tadashi Uchiha taunted from his branch a few meters away. He was a short, skinny genin who, despite being the smallest of the team, was always the first to leap into the fray. Already there was a pair of shuriken in his hands at the ready.

Hanabi couldn't help rolling her eyes. "Big words for someone who only has seven minutes left."

The two sprang at each other, exchanging awkward blows in midair as expected of two genin who were more used to fighting with solid ground under their feet. Hanabi blocked a clumsy, shuriken-spiked punch, and was about to bring her leg up to kick him in the chest, thus propelling him away Except Tadashi's left hand grabbed onto the side of her shirt and he grabbed his other arm around her like a leech. Hanabi tried to kick him away again as they plummeted towards the ground.

"Unseal!"

White smoke filled the air as a weighted net entangled Hanabi's arms and legs. The two of them hit the ground with a heavy thud, completely ensnared. A tall, skinny boy with straw-blond hair appeared from beneath a bush, a slight smile on his face. "Caught you," Nobu Yamanaka said quietly.

"We win!" Tadashi crowed. He punched the air and yelped in pain when he accidentally hit one of the weights.

Hanabi lunged at her teammate and put him in a headlock before he even realized what was going on. "You don't win until you get the silver bells," she shouted, tightening her headlock to emphasize her point. Nobu froze like a deer in search lights at this unforeseen development.

"She's right," came Ryuuichi-sensei's drawl. Their teacher stepped out of the shadows, seeming to appear from thin air. He was a man that defied physical description if only because he looked so incredibly average - brown hair, brown eyes, medium height, average build. He was the type of person whose name you would forget within minutes of meeting him. It made him perfect for infiltration, not that his battle skills were anything to disregard. (Hanabi and Tadashi had made that mistake the first day and Sensei had wiped the floor with them.)

"Time's up by the way," Sensei said, nodding to Hanabi. "You can let him go."

Hanabi released her grip and Tadashi scrambled away, his smooth features twisting into an angry scowl.

Once the genin were back on their feet and all the equipment accounted for and put away, Team 5 began their debrief. "Alrighty." Sensei leaned against a training post, peering down at the notepad in his right hand as he absentmindedly twirled a pencil in his left. His team stood across from him with varying degrees of posture: Hanabi stood at attention, her back ramrod-straight; Nobu ducked his head in a vain attempt not to stick out like a sore thumb; Tadashi had his arms crossed and was scowling into the distance. "Let's just go down the list."

He pointed his pencil at Nobu. "Impressive traps Nobu-kun, shame that you never got to use that last one. You're going to need to come up with simpler traps to improvise with for when your bigger ones don't work. And of course," Ryuuichi-sensei gave Nobu a pointed look, "we'll keep working on direct combat." Nobu bobbed his head like a souvenir bobblehead while Tadashi looked skeptical. Nobu was notorious among the rookies for being a timid and reluctant fighter, preferring to run away or hide in the shadows.

Sensei frowned at Tadashi. "Tadashi-kun. I'm glad that you've started thinking before you charge in-keep working on that-but it's important to actually achieve the mission objective before you start celebrating. Also, while it's admirable that you're willing to do whatever it takes to complete a mission, you should also try to stay alive. On an actual mission, you'd have died at 20 minutes."

Tadashi nodded reluctantly, ever the sore loser.

Ryuuichi-sensei sighed and tapped on his notepad with the eraser end of his pencil. "Hanabi-kun, not a bad job, although if you had run away in the middle of that last fight, you wouldn't have ended up in such a bind. Pay attention to your surroundings and keep practicing chakra sensing."

"Yes sensei," Hanabi said.

Their teacher snapped his notebook shut and tucked it into his pocket. "Any questions? No? Okay then. Good work all around. Meet back here tomorrow at 8 am. We have a D-class mission."

"Another D-class? We've been doing D-class missions for ages now," Tadashi whined, previous frustration forgotten. "When are we gonna be able to leave the village? Team 1 and 4 both got to go."

Sensei shrugged. "I put in a request but they said we weren't ready. Maybe next time."

The team broke apart as everyone headed home. Tadashi was practically vibrating with frustration (though he seemed to realize that complaining to Ryuuichi-sensei was useless) and even Nobu seemed disappointed. While Hanabi wasn't looking forward to weeding gardens or buying groceries or chasing that damned cat, she was secretly relieved that she wouldn't have to leave the village. She didn't trust the elders not to mess everything up in her absence. Besides...

Hanabi walked through the Hyuga gates to the Main House Compound's training area. She could hear the thud of a fist hitting a training dummy before the person training came into view. Hinata caught sight of her and paused. She was breathing evenly despite her flushed cheeks and the sweat dripping down her face.

"Welcome back," Hinata said.

"Sorry for interrupting your training," Hanabi said, handing her sister an extra water bottle she had in her pouch. "How's it going?"

Three months ago, the elders had pulled their cup, and Hinata had been inconsolable. She stayed in bed all day, only eating when prompted, and didn't respond to any of Hanabi's attempts to get her to come outside. Hanabi had been powerless as her sister stared at the ceiling for twelve hours a day. It was only with the combined effort of Neji and Team 8 that Hinata finally was convinced to train for the jounin exam and prove her strength to the elders. Since then, she had been training nonstop and everyone had been pitching in - Gentle Fist exercises with Neji, taijutsu practice with her teammates, genjustu studies with Kurenai, she was even studying under Asuma (who Kurenai had roped into helping).

"It's good," Hinata said after taking a swig of her water. "I sparred with Lee-san today. I really need to work on my stamina," she gave a self-deprecating laugh. "But I think I'm finally mastering those fire release techniques that Kakashi-san showed me..."

Hanabi let Hinata's words wash over her, happy to see her sister so enthusiastic.

...

The setting sun painted the cobblestones of the Branch residential area paths a fiery orange. Uniform light-blue townhouses lined either side of the path, each filled with families getting ready for dinner. Neji approached one of the standard dark-wood doors and knocked twice. The door opened to reveal a tall, thin woman. She was dressed in an immaculate cream yukata and her long brown hair was tied into a tight bun.

"Hello Aunt Ayako," Neji said, bowing slightly. "It's good to see you."

"Neji-kun," she acknowledged, moving to the side so that he could enter. "Come in."

Few people outside were aware that Neji had family outside of Hinata and Hanabi. Even clan members tended to forget that his mother had had a brother or that Neji actually had an older cousin (although technically everyone in the clan were cousins in one way or another).

In the kitchen Daichi was setting the table for dinner while Uncle Jiro was carefully filling four bowls with white rice. There was also grilled fish, miso soup, and pickled vegetables. Neji felt a wave of what could only be described as nostalgia without the fondness.

His uncle's family had taken him in after his father had died. Ayako was the embodiment of Hyuga ideals: distant, proper, and believed wholeheartedly in the clan's power and practices. Jiro had grown up outside the clan and on a distant branch. He was one of the more expressive Hyuga, with crows feet around his eyes and a deep belly laugh. But he had been busy trying to grow his business to really pay much attention to Neji. Besides his idea of bonding was going fishing and letting the kids taste beer for the first time. In hindsight, neither of them had been equipped to meet the emotional needs of a distraught and angry child.

They all take a seat. "How are you Neji? You must be busy with missions after passing the jounin test," Uncle Jiro asked, pouring himself a cup of green tea.

"Not really," Neji admitted, scooping some fish onto his plate. Not the top restaurants in downtown Konoha, could compete with his aunt's grilled fish. "I've mostly been assigned border patrol missions."

"Really?" Aunt Ayako said, narrowing her eyes. "Strange that the Hokage would send a jounin, especially one with your talent." Standard border patrol missions were famously boring: ninjas posted there stayed at the outpost and monitored their section of the border. Though the outpost required some high-level nin on standby just in case something went wrong, these types of missions were mostly given to chunin.

Daichi let out a quiet snort. "I guess even Neji isn't safe from the border missions."

"What do you mean?" Neji asked. There was an undercurrent that he didn't understand, an air of tension and unspoken suspicion.

"If you haven't already heard then you probably don't need to know. I'm sure the great Neji Hyuga will be back on those A-rank missions soon enough."

"Daichi, watch your tone," Aunt Ayako said, voice sharp as a kunai.

Neji furrowed his brow. "I don't understand."

Daichi picked at his food, purposely ignoring the inquiry. While their relationship had never been as bad as Neji and Hinata's had once been, Daichi had never been welcoming either, alternating between ignoring him and telling him to go away.

"Daichi's past few missions have all been border patrol ones," Uncle Jiro said mildly, pouring himself another cup of tea. "A lot of Hyuga chunin have been getting the brunt of them and they're all getting antsy." Now that Neji thought about it, he'd seen a surprising number of his clansmen at the outpost, though had the time he'd assumed that there was a situation that the village had needed an extra pair of eyes to monitor.

"No one's gotten anything above a B-rank," Daichi growled. "Riko got assigned as a paper-pusher when she applied for Intelligence and Kousuke was told to take _leave_. You can't say it's all just a coincidence."

"They think the village is punishing the Hyuga for Shiro's...actions," Jiro clarified with a sigh. He sipped his tea and leaned wearily back in his chair.

"It is not unprecedented." Aunt Ayako deftly removed the fish's spine in one piece and helped herself to the meat underneath. "The Uchiha clan were quarantined up until a few years ago, and that was just for expressing discontent and making demands." She frowned slightly. "It is a shame to see potential wasted. I hope the Elder Council will be able to convince the Hokage-sama otherwise."

"At least _they're_ fighting for us," Daichi said, his glare meeting Neji's for a heartbeat before turning away.

The conversation turned to other, more banal topics-Daichi's teammates, Uncle Jiro's last fishing trip, Aunt Ayako's Branch family gossip. Neji nodded when appropriate and spoke when spoken to. Mostly, he focused on forcing down the rest of food, unable to shake the prickling feeling of not belonging.


End file.
